2008-02-26

Kao guske u ćuzi

We know a couple of things about the girls whose little looting adventure made them internet celebrities for one brief, greasy moment. We know that they hail from lovely Batajnica (but they already told the fellow with the camera that). We know that their names are Maja Trbojević and Jovana Petrović, and that they were arrested on Sunday. And we know that they are about to be charged with theft, a crime which carries a sentence of between one and eight years. This will give them the dubious distinction of being the only people to be charged with anything after a long night of vandalism, looting, physical attacks on police officers, arson and manslaughter. Congratulations to prosecutors on a job not done.

Police succeeded, after somebody else did their investigation for them, in finding evidence of their crime in their apartment three days later. And where were the forces of public order on the night when many more crimes than the pathetically small ones committed by these two girls were committed? Somewhere doing something other than their job, apparently.

And who is reponsible for the absence of the police? Formally they are under the command of the Interior ministry, the head of which, Dragan Jočić, has been in the hospital since 25 January after his Very Ministerial Automobile smacked into a doggie, severely injuring both His Ministricity and his driver (no word on the fate of the doggie, za razliku od njega ni kriv ni dužan). The deputy minister should be filling in but apparently is not. It seems rather that contrary to the law, on the night of 21 February the police were commanded directly by Aleksandar Nikitović -- not a public official at all, but rather chief of staff for prime minister Vojislav Koštunica, who was not authorised by the government to take over the role of the Interior minister in stead of the deputy minister.

Once you have finished holding your breaths waiting for charges to be filed related to the usurpation of power as a part of a conspiracy to undermine public order, please exhale deeply and go out for a nice drink.

Update: Before you head off to enjoy that drink, enjoy this commentary by Vedrana Rudan.

Update2: Here is another gaggle of heroes, no doubt defending the ancient monasteries and their lovely frescoes.

7 comments:

Richard de Boer
said...

Interesting commentary by Vedrana Rudan. I believe that the widespread poverty and lack of future perspectives in Serbia explain at least part of the widespread looting of the city centre.... I just wonder whether Vedrana means B92 or another broadcast company with 'so-called "leftist" tv channels'.. ??

I think she is making a bitterly ironic comment on how the Communists and their successors have deprived "left" of all content, making it a synonym for extreme right, so in that context people who would be middle of the road figures anywhere else appear to be "left." At least that is how i am reading it.

But I think a good study needs to be done of the competition over symbols and identities. Obviously just pointing at their slipperiness, while it might be amusing, is not enough.

"But I think a good study needs to be done of the competition over symbols and identities."

Yes! You've hit the nail right on the head! My "thesis" is, especially with regard to comparing Serbia's European integration prospects to other E. European countries, that symbols play a huge role. Whereas in the rest of E. Europe you had a) belonging to the west (i.e. the EU) as a symbol of belonging to "civilization" or if you like "finally having made it" and b) Russia as a negative symbol, in Serbia we have the opposite.

And while Europe could perhaps be used as a symbol to mobilize the public politically in Serbia as well, it can never ever compete while traditional symbols of Serbian nationalism remain exploited and relevant. But politicians are hardly even trying to use Europe as a positive symbol. Djelic a few weeks ago distilled the EU's meaning into a gross tonnage of exportable beef. Yeah... we are really going to go smash windows and steal Nikes if that falls through...

Haha well Camille, there was a reason the word thesis was in quotes. Actually, I did write an essay on this for a poli sci course in my last year of university, but it hasn't been published anywhere. I can send it to you if you like...

But very likely starting grad school in September, so something might come of this line of thinking yet!

@ Eric: I read it differently, but I might be misreading.. It depends on which "Left" you think of. The whole meaning of "Left" and "Leftism" is indeed totally different story in Serbia. What came up in my mind was the fact that B92 is occasionally criticized by Druga Srbija representatives for compromising. An example is the way Olja Bećković has been depicted by Pera Luković... I was thinking about criticism of B92 and icons of progressive pro-European forces in Serbia when Rudan made the point that the "so-called Left" is silent about the reality of Serbia's generation sans future... but then again, indeed we need more discussion about the competition of symbols, identities, discourses....